The Missing Irish

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On Tuesday evening last I was at a talk by Dave Foley on the Missing Irish, those Irishmen and women of World War 1 who have no known grave and are commemorated on various memorials. The following day I had a look at a list of Clonmel War Dead I compiled some years ago, added a few from CWGC and came up with 174 Clonmel dead of WW1 of whom 74 (42%) are commemorated on various memorials to the missing distributed as follows;

Thiepval Memorial 14
Le Touret Memorial 12
Menin Gate Memorial 12
Pozieres Memorial 6
Helles Memorial 5
Basra Memorial 3
Arras Memorial 3
Cambrai Memorial 3
Ploegsteert Memorial 2
Chatby Memorial 2
La Ferte sous Jouarre Memorial 2
Vis en Artois Memorial 2
Tyne CotMemorial 2
Loos Memorial 1
Hollybrook Memorial 1
Lone Pine Memorial 1
Tower Hill Memorial 1
Portsmouth Naval Memorial 1
Plymouth Naval Memorial 1

Thiepval Memorial

The Thiepval Memorial is the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme from the time the British took the sector over from the French in late 1915 TO 20TH March 1918. It commemorates 72,201 officers and men of UK and South African forces who died in the Somme sector. Over 90% of those commemorated died between July and November 1916 during the Battle of the Somme. The memorial was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and was built between 1928 and 1932. It was unveiled by the Prince of Wales on 1st August 1932. The dead of other Commonwealth countries, who died on the Somme and have no known graves, are commemorated on national memorials elsewhere.
The Clonmel men on the Thiepval Memorial are;

Sgt Nicholas Cassidy, 2nd Bn Leinsters. Mitchell St, Clonmel. Died 31st August 1916.
Pte Edward Greene, 2nd Bn The Manchester Regt. Died 10th July 1916.
2/Lt Eric Hackett, 6th Bn, Royal Irish Regt. Died 9th September 1916.
Pte Edward Hendy, 2nd Bn, Royal Fusiliers, Died 1st July 1916.
Driver James Hickey, Royal Artillery, Died 28th February 1917.
Pte Patrick Kelly, 2nd Bn Leinsters. Died 31st August 1916.
Pte Patrick Kinsella, 2nd Bn, Leinsters. Died 3rd September 1916.
Pte George Lawless, 1st Bn, Irish Guards. Died 15th September 1916.
Pte Martin Mansfield, 7th Bn, Leinsters. Died 2nd September 1916.
Pte Michael Maunsell, 2nd Bn, Royal Irish Regt. Died 3rd September 1916.
Sgt John Myers, 11th Bn, The Manchester Regt. Thomas St, Clonmel. Died 26th September 1916.
Pte John Nolan, 2nd Bn, Royal Irish Regt. Died 5th July 1916.
L/Cpl Edward Stokes, 2nd Bn, East Lancs. Died 28th April 1917.
Pte Edward Sweetman, 2nd Bn, Royal Irish Regt. Died 5th July 1916.

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The Le Touret Memorial

The Le Touret Memorial commemorates 13,394 soldiers who were killed in this sector of the Western Front that stretched from Estaires in the north to Grenay in the south from the beginning of October 1914 to the eve of the Battle of Loos in late September 1915 and who have no known grave. Almost all of the men commemorated on the Memorial served with regular or territorial regiments of the British Army, the Canadian and Indian troops who died are commemorated on their own memorials. The memorial was designed by John Reginald Truelove, who had served as an officer with the London Regiment during the war, and unveiled by the British ambassador to France, Lord Tyrrell, on 22 March 1930.

Clonmel men on the Le Touret Memorial;

Pte Daniel Barrett. 2nd Bn, Royal Irish Regt. Died 19th October 1914.
Pte John Burke. 2nd Bn, Royal Irish Regt. Died 19th October 1914.
Pte James Griffin. 2nd Bn, Royal Irish Regt. Died 19th October 1914.
Pte Michael Hally. 2nd Bn, Royal Irish Regt. Died 19th October 1914.
Pte Cornelius Moynihan. 2nd Bn, Royal Irish Regt. Died 19th October 1914.
Pte John O’Gorman. 2nd Bn, Royal Irish Regt. Died 19th October 1914.
Pte Maurice Power. 2nd Bn, Royal Irish Regt. Died 19th October 1914.
Pte William Roberts. 2nd Bn, Royal Irish Regt. Died 19th October 1914.
Pte John Shaw. 2nd Bn, Royal Irish Regt. Died 19th October 1914.
2/Lt John Smyth. 2nd Bn, Royal Irish Regt. Died 20th October 1914.
Bandsman Thomas Fallon, 2nd Bn, East Lancs. Died 17th November 1914.
Pte Charles McCarthy. 1st Bn, Irish Guards. Died 18th May 1915.

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The Menin Gate

The Menin Gate is one of four memorials to the missing in the Ypres Salient which stretched from Langemarck in the north to the northern edge in Ploegsteert Wood in the south. It commemorates casualties from the forces of Australia, Canada, India, South Africa and United Kingdom who died in the Salient. In the case of United Kingdom casualties, its end date is 16th August 1917. The Menin Gate commemorates 54,409 missing. It was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield with sculpture by Sir William Reid-Dick and was unveiled by Lord Plumer on 24th July 1927.

Clonmel men on the Menin Gate;

Pte John McGrath. 1st Bn, Royal Welch Fusiliers. Died 20th October 1914.
Pte William Griffiths. 5th Lancers. Died 31st October 1914.
Driver Thomas Condon, Army Service Corps. Died 5th November 1914.
Sgt Michael McDermott, 1st Bn, Royal Irish Regt. Died 10th February 1915.
Pte John Hyland. 1st Bn, Leinster Regt. Died 13th March 1915.
Pte James Connors. 1st Bn, Royal Irish Regt. Died 15th March 1915.
Pte Timothy Terry. 1st Bn, Royal Irish Regt. Died 15th March 1915.
Pte Patrick Lonergan. 1st Bn, Royal Irish Regt. Died 16th March 1915.
L/Cpl Edward Tobin. 2nd Bn, Royal Irish Regt. Died 3rd May 1915.
Pte James Holden. 2nd Bn, Royal Irish Regt. Died 9th May 1915.
Pte Gerald Moore. 2nd Bn, Royal Irish Regt. Died 7th June 1917.
Rifleman John McGugan. 1st Bn, Royal Irish Rifles. Died 31st July 1917.